The Opelousas courier., 1887-10-08
POLISHING A FLOOR.
BY CALVIN.

4 BY CALVIN.
My wife and |, with our three off
spring, took up our abode for the sum
mer in a pretty sdibur ban cottage.
The arrangement with our landlord
stipulated that he should not be called
upon to make any alterations or repairs.
Our means are limited within very
narrow limits, so like the two reasonable
souls that we are, we determined to
economic in all reasonable ways, but one
little extravaganza Cherry, my wife, insist
ed upon; that our dining room floor
should be polished, and she was to be
her W maid of all work and wished as
few carpets as possible to care for.
Cherry is a willing, ambitious, brave
hearted creature, but lackingin muscular
force. So when she proposed to shellac
and polish the floor to save the expense
of hiring a professional, I at once put
my manly foot down with masculine en-
phasis On the subject.
Like the generous, self-sacriicing soul
that I am known to bell declared I
EEould bear upon my broad shoulders the
Responsibility of polishing the floor.
Cherrysnade a gentle demurrer, but
finally yieiSnlthe point.
The next maSssg I began operations,
rising with the in the enthusiasm
born of inexperience:s It proved not
difficult to- apply the staining, but when
I began to polish inch by ihah, with the
thermometer in a raging fe\a.r of one
hundred degrees, my heart 'saxas dis
dismayed, for the room measure sixteen
by sixteen, and to crawl ovsr that
amount of territory on hende& knees
was not pleasant to contemplate. Ii
Filled with sad reflections on tHA de-
privations poverty entails and wiz the
sweat of honest toll trickling ifCarfsa
~rivulets from mBnoble brow, / SAP du
to rest, and, picking up a papes6a III
eyes CHANGED to see an article in HeIlaIn
nestle column, headed "Hints fdegAma 81
teurs in Polishing Floors" Immediately
my attention was fixed upon thiS1 article.
The writer assured her readers With the
of experience that thi work of
polishing could be greatly fad Jtated if
the operator would fasten to the buttons
his or her feet a paif of stiff scrubbing
brushes, and thus glide over the surface
desired to be polished. After a little
practice the person would become quite
adept in the skating-like motion required
and a brilliant polish would result, with
out firing the back or bruising the
knees. The plan recommended itself to
ne on the grounds of originality and
orilliancy of conception, and / deter
mined to test its feasibility.
Accordingly ! HE'D me forth in search
# brushes. | had a long and weary
march ere 7 found brushes equal to the
rea Of my pedal extremeties, for though
here may be differences Of opinion as to
he graceful formation of those mem
'ers, no n can deny thas they are
uilt upon . noble design with no stint
I material.
] argued, too, that the pressure of
hundred and eighty pounds avoir-
upois was greatly ia my favor, SO with
~ brushes in place and with a light
cart and eyes beaming with hope I be-
an my experiment.
Contrary to expectations, I found my-'
If unsteady when I stood on my
SO / concluded to cling to the
for support till / became accus-
'med to my new mode of locomotion.
had been at work but a few minutes /
hen my attention was diverted by the i
of three little imps, as they
ing out in their glee:: "Ohi mamma, j
,me, quick, quick! See papa walking
4 brushes. !
Mamma came, and soon retreated at
v command of: Cherry, keep those
out Of here it is bad enough
make q martyr Of myself without t
ling laughed al. .
Bennies the eldest. began to whimper: /
What makes papa 80 CROSSE He did /
ok funny, didn't he, mamma9s il
HW -
Hush! hush come away II Cherry ]
severed; papa i tired Z
I should say papa was tired, and a
TO be cross, too, but, left to i
yself, rallied my courage and went i
work again. determined to venture b
way fromthe wal, and had gained con- r
lerable self-assurance when In bounded b
II Newfoundland dog, with tail frisk- 4
6 and eyes alight with q humor | had i
yer seen in them before. He seemed Z
at once to have developed d keen APP Is
~eciation Of the ridiculous, as he gam 81
led about; and knocking against me, d
1T me spraWling on the floor. / re- b
ined my footing and roared in my deep il
SIS .Ont Of here, Rover1 Hear, STRIP i,
sBow WOW, Z answered Rover, il his A,